Suspender buckle



` (No Model.)

' J. -SPRUCR SUSPENDBR BUGKLB. l No. 331,661.` Patented Dec. 1*, 1885.-

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UNTTED STATES Artnr Orrinn.

JAMES SPRUCE, OF VATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE SCOVILL MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

-SUSPENDEll-BUCKLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 331,661, dated December 1, 1885.

Application iled August 24, 18H5. Sei-inl No. 175,150.

T @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES SrRUcE, of Vaterbury, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improve ment in Suspender-Buckles; and I do hereby declare the following', when taken in connec tion with accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the saine, and

which said drawings constiute part of this specification, and represent, in-

Figure 1, a front view of the buckle cornplete; Fig. 2, a vertical central section showing the strap engaged with the buckle; Fig.

3, a face view ofthe frame, showing the tongues d d before bending; Fig. 4, a face view of the lever detached; Fig. 5, a longitudinal section of the lever through the pintles; Fig. 6, a section of the lever cutting through the pintlcs 2o at right angles, Fig. 7, a section of the frame and lever through one of the hinges, Figs. 8 and 9, inodiications.

This invention relates to an improvement in that class of buckles the frame of which con- 2 5 sists of three or more bars in the same plane, but connected at their ends, so as to form slots longitudinally across the buckle, combined with a lever hung to the frame to act in connection with the slots, whereby the earn-like 3o grasp is produced upon the strap.

In the more general construct-ion of this class of buckles the lever is hung to the frame by raising ears at the ends of the one part to receive corresponding trunnions on the other 3 5 part. Such construction necessarily makes projections on the buckle, which are liable to catch the clothing, or to undesirably wear upon the clothing.

The object of niy present invention is an improvement in this class of buckles, whereby there are substantially no projections formed on the frame to interfere with the clothing; and it consists in the construction, as hereinafter described, and more particularly recited 4 5 in the claims.

The buckle consists of two parts, the frame and the lever. 'The frame, Fig. 3, is cut from a flat blank of sheet metal to forni three or more bars, three being shown in the illustra- (No model.)

tion, A representing the upper bar, B the 5o lower bar, and C the intermediate bar, the several bars parallel, connected at their ends so as to forni longitudinal parallel slots a b. Upon the upper edge of the lower bar, B, tongues d are formed, extending into the 'slot 55 b. rlhese tongues are to form the hinges for securing the lever. The lever D is cut from sheet metal. (See Fig. 4.) The length of the lever is slightly less than the length of the slot b. Below its edge longitudinal slits are cut to 6o leave narrow bars e, disconnected from the tongue at the sides, but connected at their ends. The position of these bars corresponds to the tongues d on the frame. The bars e are depressed below the front face of the tongue, as seen in Figs. 5 and 6, the length of the bars being substantially the width of the tongues d. These bars are to forni the pintle for the hinge. The upper edge,f, of the tongue is turned inward, as seen in Fig. 6, and the distance of the pintle below the upperedge of the tongue is somewhat less than the width of the slot b. The parts are assembled by placing the lever on the lfront face of the frame, and into the slot b the tongues d d, introduced over the respective pintles c, and then the tongues bent around the pintles, as seen in Fig. 7. In this condition the lever is free to turn upon its hinge; but when lying iiat upon the face of the frame, as seen in Fig. 7, the edge of the 8o tongue should be substantially iiush with the face of the buckle, or it may turn slightly into the slot b. The lower arm of the lever is provided with a hook, E, or other suitable and well-known device, for engaging with the suspender-ends, the construction shown being in the forni of a snep-hook, common and well known. The strap F is engaged with the buckle by passing its end through the slot c from the rear side ofthe buckle, thence through 9o the slot b, the tongue being turned inward for so doing, as indicated in broken lines, Fig. 2, so as to leave free passage for the strap inward over the tongue. The strap then extends down in rear of the lower bar, B. The pull upon the strap cornes over the edge of the lever and turns the edge outward, so as to bring the lever dat against the outer surface of the frame,

as seen in Fig. 2, the upper edge of the lever form the pintle e, and Fig. 9, which shows the lever with the tongues d cut, preparatory to impinging upon the outer surface of the strap with a very considerable degree of elasticity, and so as to clamp the strap between the edge of the lever and the upper edge of the bar G, and so as to securely hold the strap. The adjustment is niade by turning the lever inward, as indicated in broken lines, Fig. 3, whenthe strap or buckle is free to move in either direction, and is engaged so soon as the strain is brought upon the strap. This construction leaves the front of the buckle perfectly smooth, and throws no projection upon the rear to interfere or work upon the clothing. Vhatever projection there is to the hinges comes directly upon the suspender, so that the suspender itself forins a protection between the buckle and the garments, and the buckle itself occupies substantially no more s pace than what is known as a platc-buckle-that is, a buckle without a movable part. Instead of making the tongues on the frame and the pintles on the lever, this order may be reversed, asindicated in Fig. 8,which shows the lower bar of the frame, with the pintles e formed therein by cutting slots near the upper edge, so as to leave a narrow portion to being bent around the pintles.

1. The herein-described buckle, consisting of a frame composed of three or more parallel bars, A B C, in the same plane and connected at their ends, forming parallel slots c b, cornbined with a lever, D, hinged to the bar B by tongues on the one and pintles on the other, the said tongues and pintles being within the length of the slot b, substantially as described.

2. The buckle-frame consisting of the parallel bars A B C, connected at their ends and in the same plane, and so as to forni slots a b, the bar B constructed with .tongues on its upper edge extending into the slot b, combinedl with the tongue D, constructed with pintles e e, depressed from the. surface of the tongue below its clasping-edge, the said tongues onV the bar B bent around the depressed pintles e e, to form hinges for the lever, substantially as described.

JAMES SPRUCE.V

V'Vitnesses:

F. J. Gonsn, F. J. TUTTLE. 

